Trentadue Winery: Supporting Local Agriculture for 58 Years

Leo and Evelyn Trentadue settled on the family land, where Evelyn's Great Grand Father farmed with horse drawn plows. The Trentadues planted their first block of winegrapes in 1962; they planted the Italian varietal, Carignane, alongside the 68 acres already growing on the ranch.

Written By: Rachel LaFranchiPublished: October 1, 2017

Before moving to Sonoma County in 1959, the Trentadue family grew cherries and apricots in Sunnyvale. As the area around them became more and more developed, the Trentadues moved to Sonoma County where they purchased a 208 acre ranch in Alexander Valley.

Leo and Evelyn Trentadue settled on the family land, where Evelyn’s Great Grand Father farmed with horse drawn plows. The Trentadues planted their first block of winegrapes in 1962; they planted the Italian varietal, Carignane, alongside the 68 acres already growing on the ranch. Those vines, which are more than 115 years old, are among the oldest producing Carignane vineyards in America.

Leo Trentadue was the first one in the county to irrigate his fields, introducing the technique more common to his former home in Santa Clara County.

In 1974, Leo planted eight different varietals, interested in finding out what would grow the best. The Trentadues both shared Italian heritage and a passion for Italian wines, and when the Sangiovese, a varietal from Tuscany, excelled, they planted additional acres.

The Trentadues became the first to locally produce a 100% Sangiovese varietal, which the winery touts as one of their top wines produced from their estate.

The Trentadues also began experimenting with fortified wines in 1987. Their Ports were well received and the winery has become one of the leading producers of dessert wine in Sonoma County.

Today, Leo and Evelyn’s son Victor has taken over as grapegrower where, in addition to being involved the family winery, he owns and operates a vineyard management company alongside his wife Cindy.

Their son, Steve, has been involved in the vineyard management side for more than ten years and their younger son Tyler works for the winery.

The Trentadues grow all the grapes for their Trentadue wines and the majority of the La Storia wines on the 90 acres that surround the winery. Of these 90 acres, 30 are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. The additional acreage that the family used to own is leased or has been sold over time.

The winery is certified sustainable, and they are committed to conserving water and other environmentally friendly practices.

“Ag is getting tougher,” said Victor Trentadue, “there are more rules and regulations, labor is a challenge and there are more people moving here. But it’s fun and I enjoy it and all the people that come up. We make a great wines from the estate.”

Trentadue Winery became Premium Members of Sonoma County Farm Bureau earlier in the year and are committed supporting Sonoma County agriculture and the community.